The present invention relates to devices and methods for removing, retaining and replacing hypodermic needle in its cap in a one handed action.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,727,749, 4,383,615, 5,311,985, and 5,469,964 are all directed to devices that use substantial friction contact with a needle cap to hold the cap in place while the user attaches to a syringe the hypodermic needle held in the needle cap and thereafter withdraw the needle from the cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,803 describes a hypodermic needle-cap handling device with a thin rigid plate having an open ended slot therein and a cap holder mounted on one side of plate adjacent the slot for holding a needle cap. A syringe can be manipulated to move a nose thereof into the slot and when the syringe is thereafter moved laterally away from the plate the needle cap, which cannot pass through the slot, is left on the cap holder. The cap can be reapplied to the needle by reversing this action. The cap holder includes an end abutment against which the cap can be urged when the cap is reapplied and spring clips for positively holding a cap on the cap holder. Guide members guide the nose of the hypodermic syringe into the slot and a clamp clamps the hypodermic needle-cap handling device to a table. The device of this patent presents several difficulties. It is intended that the needle cap be braced under spring pressure from the closed end of the needle cap of against resilient material with the open end of the needle cap braced at its edges against the thin rigid plate. The skilled person is frightened at this prospect. It increases the hazard of flying release of the needle cap and its potentially fluid covered needle if the user inadvertently lifts a fraction of a second before the needle hub is truly friction set in the needle cap, if the user tilts the needle cap out of its bracing at insertion of the syringe nose piece, if the thin plate is slippery or if a mistake in manufacture permits other release. Thus, the device of this patent requires an extensive friction grasping device about the barrel of the needle cap to help reduce such risks, although such risks are not eliminated by any means.
As used herein, a hypodermic needle has a sharpened tubular metal shaft mounted to a hub, usually of a polymer, the top rim of the hub extending outward from body of the hub by a small amount (usually as a ring of about one millimeter) and sometimes having further one or more lateral extensions from the rim for thread engagement with Luer-lock syringes. Almost all needle caps by all major manufacturers nearly all have a rim as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,803, but more important, the needle hub extends a significant length beyond the needle cap rim when the hub is inserted to form a friction fit in the needle cap.
The present improvement over the rail type embodiment described below is a device and method for removing a hypodermic needle from, storing and replacing the needle in a needle cap. The needle cap rim is captured between a front wall and abutment means behind it. This is done by making aligned slots in the front wall and abutment means with side to side widths greater than the diameter of the needle cap body (without ridges) but less than the outside diameter of the needle cap rim. However, the rim of the needle hub is located outside the front wall slot, where the intervening needle hub rim to needle shaft part of the needle hub passes through the front wall slot and into the needle cap for friction fit contact. A rotation preventing slot is formed in at least a short wall section on the non-front wall side of the abutment means and is aligned with the other slots. The rotation preventing slot supports the needle cap toward the closed end of the cap while the captured rim of the needle cap securely supports a horizontal position. The rotation preventing slot has a smaller side to side width than the width of a needle cap at the ridges on opposite longitudinal sides of the cap but larger than the diameter of the needle cap body without ridges. Thus, rotation of the needle hub to connect or disconnect it to a syringe doesn""t cause the needle cap to rotate.
The objects of the invention are to provide a needle sheathing safety device that securely holds the cap of a hypodermic needle, thereby reducing the users risk of being inadvertently pricked when sheathing and unsheathing the needle, to provide a needle sheathing safety device that securely holds the needle of a hypodermic needle, thereby reducing the users risk of being inadvertently pricked when sheathing and unsheathing the needle, to provide a needle sheathing safety device that is easily manufactured and operated, and to provide a needle sheathing safety device that retains the needle in a secure location for convenient and safe resheathing.
In a rail type embodiment, this invention results from the realization that an easier to use and therefore safer needle sheathing safety device is effectuated by a needle sheathing safety device having a plurality of spaced openings for grasping and securely holding a hypodermic needle and cap. This embodiment features a container body housing; a plurality of spaced apart and axially aligned openings for grasping and securely holding a needle cap and needle in the body housing. In most embodiments, the body housing is configured to position the users hands free and clear of the needle during the sheathing and unsheathing operation. Additionally, the plurality of axially aligned openings preferably has means for securely retaining the needle cap needle in the device. In another rail type embodiment, the needle sheathing safety device has a multiple of plurality of axially aligned openings for accommodating the sheathing, unsheathing and retaining multiple needles. In most embodiments the axially aligned openings are U shaped to better accept the portion of the hypodermic needle disposed therein. Of course, the openings may take on other shapes as well, such as squared corners. The plurality of axially aligned openings generally comprises an opening located at an end of the body housing and a second of the plurality of openings disposed in the body housing yet in relative close proximity to the opening located in the end of the body housing. The combined configuration of the opening located in the end of the body housing and the second opening position next there to operate to grasp and retaining the needle and needle cap in the needle sheathing safety device of the present invention. Other openings which are also axially aligned with the end opening are most often disposed in the body housing for grasping and retaining the needle. This invention is preferably constructed of lightweight, needle puncture resistant and inexpensive materials such as hard plastics. The important feature of the materials of construction is that the materials prevent the penetration of the needle, thereby alleviating the risks of inadvertent needle puncture. The body housing is generally configured so that the user need not hold the device in the vicinity of the sheathing and unsheathing process. The invention may also be attached to work surface, thereby obviating the risk that a health care provider prick their free hand with the hypodermic needle.
In an improvement to the rail type embodiment, the rims of the needle cap and the needle hub are separated by a slotted front wall. This lets the user insert and rotate a syringe to attach the needle hub from a position in front of the front wall, withdrawing the needle from the needle cap and leaving the needle cap behind in a secure horizontal position.